Insulated rail joint



L E. BARR.

INSULATED RAIL JOINT.

P m A D M m n w n 01 A FIGJ.

FIB El WITNESSES in which the Patented Nov. 21, 1922.

UNHEIEB d'iATES PATENT INSULATED BAIL Jom'r.

Application filed April 1, 1921. Serial No. 457,779.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, LOUIS E; BARR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Insulated Rail Joint 'of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to insulated rail joints of the type used in railways in which electric signal currents are conducted by the rails.

The object of the invention is to provide a rail joint of simple and inexpensive con struction, which may be easily installed, and insulating plates of fibre or. other material are so arranged and formed as to reduce circuit failures to a minimum. A further object is to provide a rail joint of sufficient flexibility to prevent breaking of the rails at or adjacent to the joint.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fi .1 is a side view of a complete rail joint; Fig. 2 a combined horizontal section and plan. view thereof; and Fig. 3 a transverse sectional view taken on the line III-III Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the meeting ends of the pair of rails 1 and 2 are, asis usual, separated and insulated from each other by a head fibre post 10. At each side of the web of each rail there is arran ed an inner bar 3, both or" which are pre erably beveled at their upper and loweredges to conform to the heads and flanges of'the rails's'o as to form supports for the heads of the rails. The meeting ends of these bars are separated, and the fibre post 10 may be of sufficient width to extend between their separated ends.

Adjacent to the outer faces of the inner bars there are two outer bars 4 which span the joint and are arranged one on each side thereof. The upper edges of the outer bars may be beveled downwardly to clear the flanges of car wheels, and the lower edges are spaced from the rail flanges so as to be out of contact with them. The adjacent faces of the inner and outer bars are separated by flat plates of fibre or other suitable insulating material.

Suitable bolts 11 extend through the inner and outer bars and the web of the rail,

I and are insulated from the outer bars.

Preferably the bolt holes 5 through the lnner bars are of smaller diameter than the holes 6 through the outer bars, and insulatmg bushings 7 of fibre or other material are arranged in the holes 6 and have their inner ends abutting against the edges of holes 5 through the inner bars. Between the outer bars and'the heads and nuts of the bolts there are arranged fibre washers 8 and metalfwashers 9.

. In use the joint has been found to be very durable and effective for its intended purpose. The inner bars 3 prevent the rail heads from becoming flattened at their ends, and the flat fibre plates 4 are not subject to crushing strains and hence do not break and cause the joint to .fail: Furthermore, the joint, by reason of the fact that the rail flanges are unsupported by it, is sufficiently flexible to prevent the rails breaking at or adjacent to the joints.

I claim:

1. In an insulated rail joint, the combination with meeting ends of rails, of a head fibre post arranged between the ends of the rails, tour fiat bars arranged one at each side of each rail adjacent to the web thereof and havin their meeting ends separated, two outerhat bars spanning the joint and arranged one at each side thereof, fiat fibre plates separating the inner from the outer bars, and'bolts extending through the rail webs and the inner and outer bars and insulated from the outer bars.

2. In an insulated rail joint, the combination with meeting ends of rails, of a head fibre post arranged between the ends of the rails, four flat bars arranged one at each side of each rail adjacent to the web thereof, said bars having their meeting ends separated and forming supports for the ends of the rail flanges, two outer flat bars spanning the joint arranged one at each side thereof, flat fibre plates separating the inner from the outer bars. bolts extending through the rail webs and the inner and outer bars, and short fibre bushings insulating said bolts from the outer bars.

LOUIS E. BARR. Witness:

Gno. EDWARDS 

